Image: Scene break ornament. End Description.

Image: A bird’s-eye view of the highway leading to and from Grand Shore. It crosses over the water before curving out of sight; to one side is a small beach dotted with trees. Beyond the highway is part of the port, which is stacked high with shipping containers. Further beyond that is the city skyline. End description.

Phoebe had only visited Grand Shore twice. Both times had been to its far eastern edge, to the oceanfront where the city met the Atlantic. That was where her childhood friend Nicole had pushed her off a cliff, what, 12 years ago now? When they’d snuck away during that school trip. Her first dive. Phoebe’s second visit to the city had been just a few months ago, after her acceptance into Stern’s. She told herself that if she was going to college here then she might as well check out the area. But that had been a lie; a storm was brewing on the day she rode in, and she let the train take her far past campus.

Coming north from Avernus, Julia drove over one of the main bridges and Phoebe saw buildings rise in the distance. Before them stood giant cranes and stacks upon stacks of metal shipping containers surrounding an international port. The car dove under the water as they went through a tunnel—built to allow cargo ships into the harbor—and on the other side Phoebe found that all the infrastructure had dissolved into the rest of the city. Water snaked in wherever it could; the city seemed to be constantly accommodating it and the commerce it brought, to the point where Phoebe wondered if Grand Bridges and Tunnels was a more apt name.

Image: A field of ironweed plants in bloom, which are growing in the alleyway between two buildings. In the background, on the other side of the alley, Julia’s car is driving past. End description.

Nearly every street they drove down had ironweed planted somewhere along it, flowers that had been conspicuously absent around Avernus. This didn’t surprise her- ironweed was toxic to fae, and was the same ingredient in the fae tranquilizers that Julia and other Society members sometimes carried. Phoebe knew the plant could be lethal, too, but neither Julia nor Yuli seemed phased by its presence.

Image: A close-up of an ironweed plant. There is a single stem with alternating leaves, which splits into five stalks, each with a white, pom-pom shaped flower at the end. End description.

She switched to watching foot traffic as Julia moseyed the car into a parking space along the side of a street. The eagle-headed woman got out and slipped a leash and harness onto Yuli, who was still in the shape of a wolfhound. They jumped onto the sidewalk and wagged their tail. The plan was to enjoy Grand Shore for a few hours before loading up Phoebe’s belongings, and she had to admit, she was curious about the city now that she no longer felt trapped within it.



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5.21.2023
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Last Wednesday I went for a run and my legs only just stopped hurting… I promise I’m not out of shape ;_; I go for walks and I’ve started lifting weights, I just don’t run much.

Palestinian aid:
Gaza fundraiser/Gofundme campaigns
Operation Olive Branch
Boycotts
Buy feminine hygiene kits
Buy eSims, 2
Donate to UNRWA
Donate to PCRF
itch.io Palestinian Relief Bundle
Mutual Aid Diabetes
Taawon
Call your reps, 2 (US residents)
Email your reps, 2 (US residents)